Meditation is the soul's perspective glass. - Owen Feltham

In 2014 I made a commitment to handstands. 1 handstand per day for 365 days. There were a handful of days that I missed due to 2 surgeries but I believe I still averaged about 18 handstands a day in 2014. Impressive! It has been such an experience watching my body transform and being able to feel the alignment and the strength of my body .

Mid year, I started teaching 10 classes a week. It was a must to slow down my yoga practice otherwise, I felt an injury would be the end result. Also, for about a month I struggled with the alignment in Downward- facing dog (Adho Mukha svanasa).

adho = downwardmukha = facesvana = dog.

Frustration grew with myself as I slowed down my practice and struggled with the alignment of a "simple" pose. With guidance in my 300hr teacher training (Kindness Yoga, in Denver, CO) I found a new Downward-facing dog and it completely changed my practice. Change the smallest alignment in a yoga pose and it will shift the whole body. The most advanced yogi’s look strong and limber but in reality every step on the mat is always the first time. Once you start practicing yoga you will always practice as a beginner. This was a great lesson for me to learn as I faced frustration and challenges on the mat.

Slowing down my yoga practice and having to change alignment in my body was frustrating to me only at first. However, looking back I can easily see the most frustrating events only helped me recognize I was becoming stronger. The end result was my handstand transformation brought me a great work out, many laughs, and the best damn meditation ever.

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For the year of 2015, I would like to make a commitment to jump from Downward-facing dog to a seated pose. The challenge has begun!